Why did a German soldier carry a Danish flag?
In Land of Mine, Germany has surrendered in 1945, and its forces are leaving Denmark after occupying it for five years.
A Danish sergeant, driving by a long line of tired and dirty German soldiers, spots one carrying a crumpled Danish flag. The sergeant jumps out of his Jeep and headbutts the German soldier, screaming "That’s not your flag!". He keeps punching the knocked down soldier until there's blood everywhere, while the other soldiers keep walking resignedly.
Why did a German soldier carry a Danish flag?
Best Answer
Without a picture, I cannot see the context in which the flag was carried (e.g. proudly waving it, or carrying it neatly folded).
Assuming the German soldier wasn't proudly waving it; could he not be taking home spoils of war? Just because Germany lost the war does not mean that no German regiment ever won a battle.
From the same World War II, plenty of US forces returned home with swords that they had looted from fallen Japanese soldiers. Although the US won the war and Germany did not; the principle remains the same.
Edit You added the context of the flag carrying, so I'll updte my answer accordingly.
There are two points of view here. The Danish soldier's and the German soldier's.
The Danish soldier has presumably interpreted the Danish flag being carried by the German soldier as a trophy. He think the German soldier is taking this flag home, because he managed to loot it from somewhere, and it is a memory of something important (most likely a victory against the Danish).
The German soldier's point of view; from your description, is not clear. Maybe he was carrying it as a trophy. Maybe he was carrying it out of respect for the Danish (not every soldier is as hostile towards their enemy; some may even not agree that the Danish are enemies).
I don't think the movie particularly wanted to explore the German soldier's point of view; it was focusing on the Danish soldier's behavior, and how the German soldiers chose to react to this (they did not; and simply marched forward like a beaten dog).
Pictures about "Why did a German soldier carry a Danish flag?"
How many Danes served in the German army?
Although some 6,000 Danes are estimated to have joined the corps of Danish Nazis known as Free Corps Denmark during the war, the Danish resistance movement is estimated to have included well over 20,000 Danes who worked to actively undermine the German occupation.What role did Denmark play in ww2?
At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral. For most of the war, the country was a protectorate and then an occupied territory of Germany. The decision to occupy Denmark was taken in Berlin on 17 December 1939. On 9 April 1940, Germany occupied Denmark in Operation Weser\xfcbung.Did Germany take over Denmark in ww2?
On April 9, 1940, Germany invaded Denmark, but it did not treat this country as badly as it had other invaded countries. There were several reasons for this less severe treatment.What does the Danish flag symbolize?
As for the meaning of the symbols and colors on the Danish flag, the white cross represents Christianity, and the red background is symbolic of battle. The colors red and white have also been used by the kings of Denmark for thousands of years.U.S. \u0026 German Soldiers Working Together - Weapons Familiarization Range
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